Monday, April 17, 2006

"I WANT TO RIDE MY BICYCLE..."
(worst. Queen. song. ever.)

Though it has been planned for a few weeks, and has nothing to do w/my 'Mark Finneran' posting a week or so ago - I swear...honest! - I got my new bike on Saturday. (hmmm...maybe I should have titled the post Fat Bottomed Girls)

My Trek 700 was 12 yrs old, and while it was good to me, I wasn't very good to it. The first few years I rode the hell out of it. Columbus has some great bike paths that can get you to Grovetucky or Worthington - and after work, I'd go one way or the other. Columbus also was (is?) a town where after 5:30p, downtown just kind of rolled-up and died. One could ride right down main streets w/barely coming in contact, let alone site, of an automobile. It was the perfect way to relax after work (I mean, besides happy hour!). I got in not only some great exercise, but I got to work on strengthening my bionic leg.

After moving to Cleveland, the bike (ok - *I*) had fewer, yet sometimes harder rides....then eventually as work hours increased, and the bike and my body just became neglected and slid into a state of disrepair.

Cleveland Hts was not Columbus. While claiming to be eco-friendly (we are a Nuclear Free Zone, after all) the chances of being run off the road were great. Too great. That meant breaking out the bike carrier, attaching it, transporting the bikes to get to a better riding environment. It all seemed counter-intuitive.

But our new house has a better launching point for riding. Yes, there are some busy thoroughfares, but manageable. We can ride through the Shaker Lakes areas, etc. There is still the option of the bike carrier and heading down to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park - where one can ride the towpaths along the Ohio & Erie Canal. Fun to make it down to Akron, and if one gets tired or lazy, just throw your bike on the train and head back to where you started.

Anyhoo...I ordered my bike a week ago and it arrived at the store mid-week, I just couldn't pick it up until Saturday (again w/the work hours!). It is a hybrid - from Raleigh. To be honest, I didn't know Raleigh still made bicycles. The last one I saw, was my ten speed back when I was maybe 12. And though Trek had been good to me, I saw nothing they had that fit my purposes. Specialized had a great Crossroads bike, and was comparably priced - but the store was closing out the line. I didn't want a bike down the line they didn't carry or care about. Website design shouldn't really be a reason to buy a bike, but I'll give Specialized this - they have a cool-ass site.

So, I think we were home for about 20 minutes after getting the bike before we were out riding. I even wore a helmet. I loathe wearing helmets. I know it's the right thing to do to wear them. Working for a neurosurgery practice I should know better....but I felt confined. Having said that, they are a tad more comfortable than they were a decade ago - and I was smart enough to get a white-ish/silver-ish one, instead of black....which just told the sun, 'BAKE ME".

I have a lot of work to do to get back into shape for them-thar legs. We probably only rode a few miles, but it felt good. I'm looking forward to longer hours of sunlight - so I can at least get in a short ride each night.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cool bike! Shimano crankset and derailleurs = nice!

Blobby said...

I'd like to know who told you my bike when I was 7 or 8 was purple w/a purple glitter banana seat!!!!

I mean - i wasn't gay enough to have ribbons.

Honestly - the bike and seat were purple. I was the the little prince - I was just little Prince!